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PSA Scales Down Its "Hybrid Air" Project
PSA Peugeot Citroen is lowering its expectations for the hybrid powertrain it has developed with Robert Bosch GmbH.
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PSA Peugeot Citroen is lowering its expectations for the hybrid powertrain it has developed with Robert Bosch GmbH. The system uses a piston engine and compressed air for propulsion.
PSA had planned to introduce a car powered by the unusual system in 2016. But France's Les Echos says it won't happen because the company cannot find a carmaker to share the estimated €500 million required to commercialize the technology.
PSA tells Automotive News Europe it has "no plans to cancel the project." But the company confirms it has reduced size of its development team and that project leader Karim Mokaddem left PSA in September to join an investment fund. He was scheduled to leave when development work on the system was completed, according to the carmaker.
The hybrid air system compresses air when the vehicle is coasting, then uses it to enhance acceleration. PSA has demonstrated the system in a Peugeot 2008 and Citroen C4 Cactus. It estimates the powertrain requires a sales volume of about 500,000 units to be economically viable.
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